Tyler Perry explains the meaning of Madea! Interview Part 1

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NEW ORLEANS -- Tuesday, New Orleans native Tyler Perry (The Haves and the Have Nots, Meet the Browns) made an appearance on the red carpet for the premiere of Boo 2: A Madea Haloween at AMC Theatre in Elmwood. Hundreds of fans lined up to get a glimpse of the star.

The following day, the talented actor/director/ producer/writer sat down with me to talk about his new film and about what he likes to do in New Orleans while he's here.

"The Court of Two Sisters, can't come here without going there. Cafe Du Monde. Got to get that. There's an antique shop on Royal Street," Perry said in the interview.

Tyler Perry is known for playing the characters of an elderly woman named Madea and Joe, who are both heavyweights when it comes to old-school parenting. But who is Madea and where did this character come from? Well, Madea isn't an unfamiliar term in the black community in the south. Madea is a cross between two words, Mother, and Dearest. It's particularly a southern term for grandmother.

Since Tyler is from the south, guess where he got the idea? Tyler said, "My aunt and my mother were the funniest women I knew so I model after them."

Just like many of us, Tyler also has goals in life he still wants to accomplish. "I'm pretty content about what goes on in my life, and I've learned to just take things as they come, "Perry said. "I used to be so crazy driven about everything. Right now it's just about legacy and what's the future for my son and the studio. So that's what my focus is.

Boo 2: A Madea Halloween hit's theaters October 20th. During the interview, I also asked Tyler what his favorite scene to shoot was in the film. That story to come closer to the film release.